In my case, I made the conscious
decision years ago to live in the countryside and maintain a sustainable
lifestyle, both financially and environmentally. There were many extra
costs associated with living in an
urban setting such as higher rents,
going out more, maintaining appearances, transportation, etc. Renting
a farm and living in the countryside
allowed me and my girlfriend to cut
costs drastically and maintain a higher quality of life surrounded by nature
in a stress-free environment. Rent
was the highest expense while living
in the city; moving to the countryside
was the equivalent of receiving a few
thousand dollars every month.

PRODUC T DEVELOPMEN T

JACINTA: I knew my business would
be closely integrated with my life, so I
wanted my business to be something
that would bring my boyfriend and I
closer. We support each other’s product development and run workshops
together. This gives us more time together and a better understanding of
what’s important to one another.

Not only does Zoot Publishing create books and games, we also conduct
workshops on the power of choice, storytelling with paper and electronics,
writing, publishing, and printing. In
our product development, we express
our values through both the story content and the production. For example,
our stories are mysteries that encourage curiosity and observation, with
diverse characters and proactive heroines. Agency is also expressed in the
“choose your own adventure” format,
which gives the reader responsibility
for the story.

I’m concerned about our environment and my goal is to minimize my
personal and professional impact on
it. When we develop products, it’s with
a full lifecycle in mind. What happens
to the books once they’re read? Where
do they go?

We reduce the number of printruns and the waste created by havingexcess stock. We also encourage read-ers to pass on books after they areread by suggesting they write a mes-sage in the book to the next reader. Weask the readers to donate the book totheir local library. We also raise aware-fline publication that showcased thestories of people who had a vision tomake their world a better place, andwere courageous, for various reasons,in pursuing that vision. It ran accord-ing to principles I believed in. It al-lowed me to work remotely, learn andexplore topics I am interested in, andmeet inspiring people. As an associ-ate partner, I also had the autonomyto make decisions. However, it was aconstant struggle to keep it afloat fi-nancially, and I needed to supplementit with other income. It seemed busi-ness would always clash with the way Iwanted to live my life.

After the social enterprise closed,
I had time and resources to put toward projects that I wanted to do. As
I was experienced in creating content,
I decided to write a “choose your own
adventure” style picture book for my
nieces. After the book was ready, the
reactions it received made me realize
there is an audience and gap in the
market for the type of content I enjoy
creating. This was the beginning of
Zoot Publishing. I also began to realize that by being the decision maker
in all aspects of the business, I could
craft a business that fit best to my other interests. Zoot Publishing is still in
its infancy, but I already have a clearer
vision for how it fits into my life better than any business or position I had
in the past. Having to make so many
decisions made me realize the incredible freedom, and responsibility, of
running a business.

One of the most valuable things
I learned is each business decision I
make does not only define the business,
but also contains a set of values and priorities that defines me as a person and
the kind of life I’m creating for myself.

I realize my business can enable a
life that would make me content, and
be a vehicle through which I can both
create and contribute something
meaningful to the world in my own
way. For me, meaning comes from
leaving things in a better state than
the state I find them. I push toward
this by utilizing more responsible
printing practices, or creating diverse
characters who are more inclusive
and representative.

With a meaningful business andlife, comes an intrinsic sense of “head-ing in the right direction.” When mywork aligns with what I want from lifeoverall, I have the stamina to stick withthe business in the long run.

It doesn’t always fit neatly and contradictions still exist, such as working long hours even when I need more
sleep and rest. However there is a
peace of mind from knowing the goals
are life goals, not business goals.

FINANCE

AKIBA: Finance is probably one of the
most important aspects of a lifestyle
plan. Many people give up on their
ideal lifestyle because they don’t believe they can afford it. There’s no
magic wand for dealing with finances.
Typically lifestyle businesses wouldn’t
qualify for venture investments, so
finance is handled the good old fashioned way: reducing expenses and increasing revenue.

Revenue is important no matter
what type of business you run, but reducing expenses is equally important.
I always look at the ratio of my fixed
costs to my revenue. A healthy ratio
is to have fixed costs (rent, bills, and
regular monthly expenses) at around
20-30 percent of income. At 20 percent, there’s money for growth as well
as money to save while still covering
costs. Around 30 percent still allows
you to spend for growth, but there
won’t be much to save. At 40 percent,
you’re pretty much covering costs. Beyond that is pretty much the equivalent
of living paycheck-to-paycheck, or even
having a negative net income. These
ratios will differ based on spending
habits, tax brackets, cost of living, and
other factors, so you will need to tailor
them for your own situation.

When my workaligns with whatI want from lifeoverall, I havethe stamina to stickwith the businessin the long run.